Coaptating-pad.



J. F. RDWLEY. GQAPTATING PAD.

APPLlATlOE FILED JUNI19,1912.

1,099,938. `Patented June 16,1914.

JAMES F. ROWLEY, OF HICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAPTATING-PAD.

Appunti@ sied :une is, 1912.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 16, 1914. serial N0. 704,563.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES F. RowLnY, at citizen of the United States of America?` and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coaptating- Pads, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved coaptating pad for artificial limb sockets which is substantially free from parts or materials causing friction on the stump of the wearer, and which will at the same time provide means for properly hold- 'mg in place a plastic material which controls the shape of the pad.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying draw ings, in which- Figure l is a vertical section of an artificial leg socket with a coaptating pad made in accordance with this invention, and show ing the stump of the wearer in place therein. Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken on the line A-A of Fig. 1.

The coaptating pad or socket member.. is formed of a fiexible 'lining 10 and a so plastic base orrfi ing 11 which is secured 'to the inner face the body 12 or main part of the artificial leg.

Before the present limb sockets and coaptating ads which were made according to my ifatent No. 526,057, of September 18th, 1894, to a great extent avoided previous objections to other artificial limb sockets. Some of these objections were that ordinary pads were rigid and caused local pressure and infiammation,

invention, artificial and that elastic pads while coaptatiug caused undue friction and pressure on the tenderstump of the wearer. Moreover the pads commonly used were not entirely free from materials which chafed the Wearers stump leg. Some of these made under my 1894 patent had the inner lining made of canvas which came in contact with the stump leg of the wearer, as described in my said patent, and others had said inner lining made of leather. In the latter it was found necesy sary, in order to prevent relative shifting of the lining and main part or plastic part, to provide an annular seam or stitches sewcd at other parts of the interior of the socket.

All of said seams or stitches caused a chafing on the skin of the wearer, due either to the l stitches themselves or to a depression or va-li ley at the stitch line. When canvas was used, asin my said patent of September 18th, 1894, the meshes of the canvas fre quently formed a surface which'chafed th skin of the wearer. The present invention overcomes these objections by eliminating both the ycanvas andthe stitches. This may be done by using a soft pad at 11 which has one face at 13 made preferably of soft meshed fabric, and has the main thickness or body thereof made of a soft woolly, absorbent material suitable for becoming saturated with paraffin wax o; other plastic material which serves to retain the pad in proper shape to fit the stump of the wearer.

`he face 13 should be suitable to be'- mented to the inner lining. which is preferably lnade of leather, and is also preferably saturated with lthe plastic material. This pad may be made of eiderdown cloth. canton flannel, or a thick cotton flannel or the like, in which the main part or body part is saturated with paraffin wax or other waxy or like plastic material. The meshcd fabric part or that face which is of greater tensile strength than the body of the material, being less absorbent.` takes up less of the waxy or plastic material, and therefore provides a surface which can be cemented to'the in ner leather lining 10, which is also impregnated with some of the plastic material, but notsuicient to interfere with the action of the cement.

It is not necessary that the lining 10 and fabric face of the pad 11 be so securely cev mented as to irci'ent them from being peeled apart when tlie pad is not in position in the leg` but the cement should hold sufficiently to prevent a relative slippinl of the leather lining 10 and the pad l1. T e pad and lining may be cemented together before impregnation with the plastic material.A Care must be taken that the quantity of cement used in any case is not sufficient to interfere with the plastic or coaptating quality of the pad. i

The 'ad 11 and its lining 10 are secured to the bod,7 1Q of the artificial leg by any suitable means Which holds the pad and body 12 against relative longitudinal or vertical shifting. This may be accomplished by fiar ing out the upper part of the lining at 14 and having the lower part of the pad rest upon the shoulder 15 formed in the part 12 of the artificial leg.

To fit the pad or socket to an artificial leg, the socketds first warmed suiciently to soften the plastic material. When the stump of the wearer is then inserted in ,proper position, the pad readily conforms to the shape of the stump, and retains Warmth sha e upon cooling. The natural Warmth of t e stump retains theplastic material in a softened state while onethe stump, thus forming a continuously and constantly coaptating' pad in which the parts are retained in pro er relative position, and which may be ma e entirely free from any chafing seams or stitches.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention is herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered -or omitted without departin from the spirit of this inventin, as defined y the following claims.

l claim:-

l. A coaptating comprising a wool ad for artificial limbs, base and a suitable leather lining cemented thereto, said base and lining being permeated with a melted substance adapted to remain plastic at a temperature bearable by the human body.

2. A coaptating pad for artificial limbs, comprisin a buse of pliable material rmeatedwith a waxy substance adapte to remain plastic at a temperature bearable by the human body, and a lining cemented to one face of said base.

l 3. A coaptating pad for artificial limbs, comprising a base of pliable material permeated with a waxy substance adapted to remain plastic at a temperature bearable b the human body, said base being faced withI a fabric and a lining cemented to said fabric. Signed at Chicago this 14th day of June 1914.'i

JAMES F. ROWLEY.

Witnesses:

WM. R. RUMMLER, EDWIN PHELPB.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent )Nm-1,099,938, granted J une 16, 1914; upiin the appliction of James F. Rowley, of Chicago, Illinois, for an improiment in Coaptatiig-Pads, an error appears in the printed yslzaecifcation requiring` cor- VW mmm; Vrnqtion as fol-lows: Pag 2, line 5, for the word warmth read 1leach; and that the' said` Letfers Patent should be read with this orrection therein that the same l may eonform to the record of the case inthe Patent Ofle.

f Signed and sealedthis 7th day of July,` A. D., 191;.

' [mL-l R. F. WHITEHEAD,

Acting Commissioner qf Patents.

zmrfg'cuonmgm 'Patent No. noms.Y 

